A Mother's Worry
by AlwaystheCatLady
Summary: A conversation before the Third Task.


Team: Chudley Cannons

Position: Chaser #3

Mandatory Prompt: Write about a fight within the family (such as over marriage, finance, property, etc.)

Optional Prompts: (image) Bold and the Beautiful: man kissing woman's hand, (word) poisonous, (dialogue) "Sure, let's all get matching tattoos and we can dance the polka."

"It's getting darker."

The words echoed in the spacious dinning room, bouncing off the walls as if trying to escape much like she, and her husband, would like to. But it must be had.

"Narcissa-"

"You've tried to hide it, but I am not a muggle, Lucius. I can see the truth even when it isn't pleasant. Like the lies you spill about working late at the ministry. You are with your old friends," she spat out the word friends as if it were poisonous, "whispering theories about the mark, what it might mean, and potential plans for the future."

"We are eating. Now is not the time for this."

"It's the perfect time since you've been avoiding me for the past month." Narcissa set down her silver spoon down with a harsh clink. Her hands curled into fists, her perfectly manicured hands digging into her pale flesh. "He was never gone. We both knew this."

Lucius puffed up with indignation resembling the peacocks they had patrolling the manor lawn.

"I did not-"

"Then you are a bigger fool than I thought," she cut across him, sharp as a knife.

Lucius pulled back as if his wife's words physically cut into him. Once she would have softened, turned back into the delicate flower she was raised to be. Now, she couldn't afford to do that, not if she was to see her son live to see adulthood. And she knew that if he followed in his father's, his grandfather's footsteps that he would not survive. She didn't even know if her husband would.

"This family can not go through that again. That last year," Narcissa shook her head, "And Draco was only a baby. Now he'll be aware of the late nights, the blood, the nightmares. Lucius, you can't-"

Lucius slammed his fists on the table. Two patches of red appeared high on his cheekbones.

"Dammit, Narcissa it's not like it's a little club where we said, 'sure, let's all get matching tattoos and we can dance the polka.' You can't just quit. If I leave, I will die. You will die. _Draco_ will die. I've seen it happen before. I won't let that fate fall on us," he said fiercely.

"You will have us die anyway! From a dream you don't even believe in anymore," she shouted. "He _never_ lifted up our family. That was you! He brought us down. Do not deny it."

"You don't know how this will end up," Lucius said. "We can still win. We will be royalty. The wizarding world-"

"We will all die if you still follow that maniac," she said quietly, her lower lip trembling. "He was insane before he was vanished. Imagine how he will be after all this time. After dying from a _baby_."

Lucius sighed, exhaling all his anger and fight. He got up and he walked around the table to his wife, pulling her up into a standing position. Lifting up on of her dainty hands, Lucius kissed the top of the smooth skin lightly and lovingly.

"I know, Narcissa. Don't think I haven't thought of this. I joined because I thought it best for the family. I don't see any other options for us now. There's nothing I can do but follow Him and hope for the best. Maybe it'll be different this time."

She trembled and leaned into her husband's arms. "What about Dumbledore?" she whispered.

"You know better than to trust him. He won't help us. He is depending on a boy our son's age to be his hero. More than anything he will want a spy, and that will put us into more danger than ever."

She sighed. "I know. I just-"

He kissed her on the forehead. "I know. I know."

"Promise you will keep our son in mind. Do everything so Draco will survive without being scarred like us. Promise me."

"I promise."

Narcissa bit her lip, a tear finally sliding down her pale face. She was scared, more scared than angry now. The cold pit of dread in her stomach felt heavier than ever, but like her husband, she didn't see another path for her family. She just knew that whatever happened, it wouldn't be good for them. It simply wasn't possible.


End file.
